I went to my parents house for dinner tonight and had a scare. Up until now I have been vigilant but I don't think they really understood that my allergies were real. I am scheduled for additional testing next week to include tree nuts, shellfish and peanuts. I had checked everything dinner was made with and was convinced it was safe but only minutes after starting my lips got tingly and the back of my tongue felt fat and my chest got tight. Turns out the white wine that was poured before dinner contained almonds. I took 2 antihistamines and felt better within an hour but I will be more careful next time. I was lucky it was not worse.

_________________allergic to all tree pollens except grass, hazelnuts, fruit and some veggies

The wine was Pelee Island pinot grigio VQA. It states it has "a subtle bouquet of soft peach and almond" Since the ingredients are not listed maybe something was added to make the almond flavour. I have drank peach juice with no problem so I know that is not it and occasionally drink wine which led me to believe it was safe.

_________________allergic to all tree pollens except grass, hazelnuts, fruit and some veggies

A bouquet refers to the wine's aroma or "nose". It doesn't necessarily mean that the ingredient (in this case, almond) is in the wine. It's just a way to describe the aroma. It refers to the particular smell of the grape variety.

For example, see the definition of "nutty":

NUTTY (see also MADERIZED, OXIDIZED).
Table wines that have been exposed to air display this aroma which resembles that of certain sherry wines. Considered a flaw by some in red wines, but a desired flavour component in certain white wines by others.
http://zebra.sc.edu/smell/wine_glossary.html#nutty

AROMA (see also BOUQUET, NOSE below).
The intensity and character of the aroma can be assessed with nearly any descriptive adjective. (eg: from "appley" to "raisiny", "fresh" to "tired", etc.). Usually refers to the particular smell of the grape variety. The word "bouquet" is usually restricted to describing the aroma of a cellar-aged bottled wine.
http://zebra.sc.edu/smell/wine_glossary.html#aroma

I've been thinking about this wine issue for a while, because this post had scared me. I finally got around to calling Pelee Island Winery, and asked about the Pinot Grigio. The lady I spoke to says they do not add anything to their wines related to nuts. So I'm wondering if Dalbai's reaction was maybe to sulphites in the wine, or some of the food was cross-contaminated. I've never had a problem with any wine, and when a wine is described as having a certain bouquet (ie. peachy) I don't think that means there are peaches in it. That is simply a descriptive term.

I asked my allergist about this at my last appointment and he told me the reaction was probably from the insect content that is fermented when the grapes are put in the vat. The insects cannot be completely removed and infestations vary from year to year. The example he gave me was the ladybug which cross reacts with birch and I am very allergic to birch. Because it varies I have not had any problems drinking wine until the one I reacted to. He advises his patients to have a sip of the wine, wait 10 minutes to see if there is a reaction then if no reaction it is okay. So for anyone with tree or pollen allergies this can be a concern but not life threatening like the peanuts and tree nuts. I also had the reaction 3 days after allergy shots and I am very sensitive to my allergens for a few days after getting the shots.

_________________allergic to all tree pollens except grass, hazelnuts, fruit and some veggies

I had an issue at my mom's a couple of years ago. I drove to her place to spend the weekend painting a room. I arrived with mild stress hives so I thought nothing of it worsening a little. She did all the cooking and dishes while I worked on the puttying, sanding and painting. She assured me that all her nuts were in the bottom of her fridge or in the freezer. So I worked away on Friday and Saturday but had to buy antihistimines to reduce the hives covering my scalp and face.

Sunday morning I told her that if I was not better by the end of the church service (my first time out of her apartment all weekend) I would want to go to the hospital. My eyes were pretty swollen by this time and I looked pretty bad. Well, halfway through the service the swelling was obviously going down and I was breathing easier. That is when she admitted to only covering the surfaces she uses for nuts with cutting boards. She thought it was sufficient to just do all food prep at the table.

Back at her place I scrubbed down her counters with hot soapy water. My eyes were back to normal in time to drive home again the next day.

Now I take her out for dinner when I visit and I limit visits to one night only.

A bouquet refers to the wine's aroma or "nose". It doesn't necessarily mean that the ingredient (in this case, almond) is in the wine. It's just a way to describe the aroma. It refers to the particular smell of the grape variety.

soccermom wrote:

I've been thinking about this wine issue for a while, because this post had scared me. I finally got around to calling Pelee Island Winery, and asked about the Pinot Grigio. The lady I spoke to says they do not add anything to their wines related to nuts. I've never had a problem with any wine, and when a wine is described as having a certain bouquet (ie. peachy) I don't think that means there are peaches in it. That is simply a descriptive term.

Just to add to this thread as I am a translator specializing in oenology. For future reference in order to avoid confusion in terms of allergens with wines described as nutty or listing specific nuts in the tasting notes/bouquets/aromas, here is a very informative video/link on nutty aromas in wines:

"One of the most beloved aromas in wine is nutty. That's right; like nuts or nutty. Nuttiness usually comes from a fermentation process, but can also come from certain grapes, so we can use the term aroma or bouquet to describe the scent of nuts."

Wow, we have such a diverse pool of resources in our forum memberws! So Storm, do you suspect cross contamination? Many people serve wine with fruit, cheese, nuts and bread. I don't recall anyone ever washing the corkscrew in my house!

I don't suspect cross-contamination in the original poster's case (dalbai). They posted an update to say that the reaction was probably from the insect content. As for a contaminated corkscrew, it is unlikely as the corkscrew doesn't normally pass through the bottom end of the cork.

dalbai wrote:

I asked my allergist about this at my last appointment and he told me the reaction was probably from the insect content that is fermented when the grapes are put in the vat. The insects cannot be completely removed and infestations vary from year to year. The example he gave me was the ladybug which cross reacts with birch and I am very allergic to birch. Because it varies I have not had any problems drinking wine until the one I reacted to. He advises his patients to have a sip of the wine, wait 10 minutes to see if there is a reaction then if no reaction it is okay. So for anyone with tree or pollen allergies this can be a concern but not life threatening like the peanuts and tree nuts. I also had the reaction 3 days after allergy shots and I am very sensitive to my allergens for a few days after getting the shots.

Interesting to hear about the descriptions of the bouquet. Shortly after that reaction I became sensitive to all fruits and to sulphites so it could have been a combination of many sensitivities at the same time. Lately I have been tolerating the allergy shots better and can now eat strawberries, raspberries and cherries. grapes unfortunately for me still cause a reaction.

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